Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

The Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls was founded in the early 4th century by Emperor Constantine on the presumed site of the martyrdom of St. Lawrence, who died in 258. In the 13th century, Pope Honorius III built a separate church, which was eventually joined to the old one during a renovation programme. From 1374 to 1847, the Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls was the residence of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. The basilica was restored by the architect Virginio Vespignani from 1855 to 1864, who removed all the Baroque additions. On 19 July 1943, during the Second World War, the church was bombed by the Allies. The restoration lasted until 1948: the façade was rebuilt, but the frescoes on the upper parts of the façade were lost. The basilica houses the tomb of the statesman and father of Europe Alcide De Gasperi and five popes: Zosimus, Sixtus III, Hilary, Damasus II and Pius IX.

The basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore is a basilica whose construction lasted from the 13th to the 18th century. The building houses the Museo dell'Opera di San Lorenzo Maggiore.

The Basilica of San Lorenzo was built on the site of a church consecrated in 393 by Ambrose of Milan, which was considered the oldest religious building in the city. The construction of the present building was begun in 1424 by Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) and continued by Antonio Manetti (1423-1497) after Brunelleschi's death. The interior of the façade is the work of Michelangelo; despite his plans, it remains unfinished.

The Basilica of San Magno is a Renaissance church dating from the early 16th century. The previous church, San Salvatore, dates from the 10th or 11th century. The foundations of the Romanesque building became unstable due to groundwater and repeated flooding from the nearby Olona River. Towards the end of the 15th century, it collapsed and a new building was planned on the same site despite the problems of the terrain. The present bell tower, to the right of the entrance, was built in 1752 next to the tower of the Romanesque church, which was later demolished.

The Basilica of San Marino, dedicated to San Marinus, patron and founder of the Republic of San Marino, is the main church of the capital of the microstate. The neoclassical church was built from 1826 to 1838. On the back of the basilica are the Orti Dell'Arciprete, a place used for concerts and other events.

The Basilica of San Maurizio is a neoclassical church built to a design by the architect Gaetano Cantoni between 1781 and 1838. The Basilica of San Maurizio is the largest church in the whole of Liguria: its external dimensions are 70 metres by 42 metres.

The Basilica dei Santi Apostoli e Nazaro Maggiore, built between 382 and 386, is one of the oldest churches in Milan, the oldest Latin cross church in the history of Western art. The complex consists of the Basilica, the Trivulzio Mausoleum and the Chapel of Santa Caterina, both in Renaissance style. In 1075 it was severely damaged by a disastrous fire and rebuilt in Romanesque style. It underwent numerous transformations in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the interior parts being renovated in neoclassical forms between 1828 and 1832.

The Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere was consecrated in the 11th century and partially rebuilt in the 16th century, on the site of an earlier church. The church is dedicated to St. Nicholas because of the Greek population in the area. In the 11th century, it was known as the church of Leonis Petrus, in reference to a Jewish family, converted, who turned the nearby theatre of Marcellus into a fortress. The basilica was rebuilt in 1599, with a new façade by Giacomo della Porta. The medieval tower and bell tower, abandoned at the time, have been preserved.

The Basilica of San Nicola is one of the most significant examples of Apulian Romanesque architecture. The basilica was founded in 1087 by Benedictines with the main purpose of receiving the relics of St. Nicholas stolen in Myra (Turkey) by sailors from Bari.

The first mentions of the Basilica of San Nicolò date back to the 13th century and it is probable that it was built on the remains of the ancient city fortifications. The first reconstruction work on the basilica began in 1596 and continued in various stages until 1774 when the building was given a neoclassical façade with a triangular tympanum and six Ionic pilasters. In the 19th century, the church was considerably enlarged. Its present appearance was designed by the architect Giuseppe Bovara, who worked on it from 1831 to 1862; the church was consecrated in September 1930.